Method of recharging a portable aerosol contable aerosol container



Jan. 30, 1968 RYUlcHl MlzuGucHl Filed Aug. '7, 1964 dMETHOD 1"VRECHARGING A PORTABLE AEROSOL CONTINER INVENTOR Ryuch Mizuguchi Y E N RO n A United States Patent Oil 3,366,148 METHOD OF RECHARGING A PORTABLEAEROSOL CONTAINER Ryuichi Mizuguchi, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to KabushikiKaisha Mitani Valve, Tokyo, Japan Filed Aug. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 388,227Claims priority, application Japan, Nov. 7, 1963, 39/ 24,410 1 Claim.(Cl. 141-3) This invention relates toa rechargeable portable aerosolcontainer.

Heretofore, aerosol containers are so constructed that it is impossibleto recharge them with an aerosol. It is therefore unreasonable toprovide a small-sized aerosol container. Thus the generally availableaerosol container is not handy to carry in spite of the extensive demandof carrying such an aerosol as toilet and medicinal goods and the like.

One object of this invention is to provide a small-sized ae-rosolcontainer which is facilitated to carry it.

Another object of this invention is to provide an aerosol containerwhich is rechargeable with the aerosol from a master vessel when theaerosol container becomes empty or half empty.

In accordance with one aspect of this invention, there is provided arechargeable portable aerosol container f-or toilet and medicinal goodsand the like, comprising a valve means in the top of it and a manuallyworkable gas expelling means in the bottom thereof, the valve meansbeing adapted to engage with a blow out pipe of a master vessel. Whenthe aerosol container is held in the upside down position and the valvemeans is engaged with the blow out pipe of the master vessel, it ispossible to recharge the aerosol container with an aerosol contained inthe master vessel under pressure by operating the gas expelling meansmanually.

The invention will be better understood and other objects and additionaladvantages of the invention will become apparent upon perusal of thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical axial sectional view of an aerosol containerembodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view similar to the upper halfthereof;

FIG. 3 is also an enlarged explanatory view similar to the lower halfthereof;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along lines IIII-IIII of FIG. 3;and

FIG. 5 shows the operating parts in the recharging position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiment ofthis invention will now be described; however, this description will beunderstood to be illustrative of the invention and not as limiting it tothe particular construction shown and described. An aerosol container 1is made of a synthetic resin which is rather small-sized so as tofacilitate to carry. Various appearances may be given to the aerosolcontainer. A valve means is provided in the top part of the wall of theaerosol container 1. The valve means itself has a well knownconstruction. It is necessary that the valve means is provided with asuction pipe 3 which is extended inside the aerosol container 1 down tothe proximity of the bottom wall thereof. The -bottom end of the suctionpipe 3 is formed into an oblique opening 3' so as to facilitate to expelgas. Alternatively, radial small perforations may be provided throughthe lowermost part of the wall of the suction pipe 3. A jetting means 4is engaged with the valve means detachably in a well known manner. Forrecharging operation, the jetting means 4 is removed from the aerosolcon- 3,366,148 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 lice tainer 1 turned upside downand the valve means is inserted into a blow out pipe a of a mastervessel A. Alternatively, an attachment is provided to connect the Valvemeans with the blow out pipe a.

The valve means and the jetting means 4 therefor are well known. Now anembodiment thereof as shown in the drawings will be explained. Theaerosol container 1 has a top opening which is covered by a cover 9which is explained hereinafter. A tubular valve chest 7 is arrangedaxially in the top opening, which has an annular flange 8. The bottomsurface of the periphery of the annular flange 8 is arranged on the topof the wall of the aerosol container 1, a ring elastic packing 5 beingprovided therebetween. Another ring elastic packing 6 is provided on thetop surface of the annular flange 8 on which the cover 9 is placed. Thecover 9 is adapted to cover the ring elastic packing 6, the peripheralpart of the annular flange 8, and the peripheral edge of the ringelastic packing 5, and further extended downwards along the outersurface of the top part of the aerosol container 1 so as to engage withan annular neck 10 formed between the top part and the middle part ofthe outer surface of the aerosol container 1. By means of securing theskirt of the cover 9 to the annular neck 10, the cover 9 serves forholding the tubular valve chest 7 in place.

The ring elastic packing 6 is a thick one so as to engage snugly with aneck of a tubular member 2 which has a radial passage 12 in the neck sothat the ring elastic packing 6 serves for closing the radial passage 12normally. The tubular member 2 is provided also with an axial passage 13which is extended downwards from the top of the tubular member 2 to theinside of the neck of the tubular member 2. The bottom of the tubularmember 2 is not penetrated by the axial passage 13 which is connectedwith the radial passage 12. The valve chest 7 is provided with an insideshoulder 14. A coil spring 15 is compressed -between the shoulder 14 andthe bottom of the tubular member 2 so as to force the latter upwardsnormally. Under the shoulder 14 the suction pipe 3 is fixed to the valvechest 7.

The aerosol container 1 has a raised bottom 16 so as to form a recess.The central p-art of the recess is protruded upwards as a tube which hasa bulkhead 22 in the midst of the height. An exhaust pipe 18 is adaptedto pass through the central hole of the bulkhead 22 vertically slidablyand provided with two radial passages 20 and 21. An inside disc 23 isarranged above the bulkhead 22 and secured to the top of the exhaustpipe 18 so as to blind it above the radial passage 21. An annularelastic packing 24 is provided between the inside disc 23 and thebulkhead 22. An operating disc 17 is arranged in the recess and securedto the lower end of the exhaust pipe 18 so as to blind it under theradial passage 20. A coil spring 25 is compressed between the bulkhead22 and the operating disc 17 so as to force the latter downwardsnormally. Thus an exhaust passage is provided when the operating disc 17is pushed up, which extends through the clearance around the inside disc23, the radial passage 21, a vertical passage 19 inside the exhaust pipe18, the radial passage 20, the recess, and the clearance around theoperating disc 17. When the operating disc 17 is released, thecommunication is blocked at the outer end of the radial passage 21 andthe lower surface of the inside disc 23 by the annular elastic packing24.

In operation, when an aerosol contained in the aerosol container 1 is tobe jetted for use, the jetting means 4 is pushed down whereby thetubular member 2 is pushed down into the valve chest 7 against theaction of the spring 15. Then the ring elastic packing 6 is deformed soas to release the outer end of the radial passage 12 to communicate theinside of the aerosol container with the atmosphere through the suctionpipe 3, the inside of the valve chest 7, the radial passage 12, theaxial passage 13 and the jetting nozzle of the jetting means 4. Thiscommunication is blocked by the restored ring elastic packing 6 when thejetting means 4 and the tubular member 2 is released.

In recharging operation, the jetting means 4 is detached from thetubular member 2 so as to expose the top end of the axial passage 13.The aerosol container 1 is held in the upside down position and the topof the tubular member 2 is inserted into the blow out pipe a of themaster vessel A. Alternatively, an attachment is employed between thetubular member 2 and the blow out pipe a so as to connect the twofluid-tightly. Then the operating disc 17 is pushed inwardly manually soas to communicate the inside of the aerosol container 1 with theatmosphere. By virtue of the communication, the pressure in the interiorof the aerosol container 1 is held lower than that in the master vesselA so as to make the recharging possible,

easy and quick. In addition, by virtue of the arrangement of the suctionpipe 3 extended to the proximity of the bottom of the aerosol container1, it is prevented from any leakage of the aerosol contained in it whenthe operating disc 17 is pushed in the inverted position of the aerosolcontainer.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, modications thereof will readily occur to those skilled inthe art. It should be understood therefore that the invention is notlimited to the particular arrangement disclosed but that the appendedclaim are intended to cover all modications which do not depart from thetrue spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe UnitedStates is:

1. A method of recharging a portable aerosol container with such anaerosol as toilet and medicinal goods and the like, comprising steps ofremoving a detachable jetting means capped on said aerosol container soas to expose a tubular member provided in the top of said aerosolcontainer, inverting said aerosol container on a master vesselcontaining said aerosol under pressure, of connecting said tubularmember with a blow out pipe of said master vessel, operating a workablegas expelling means provided in the bottom of said aerosol container soas to expel gas contained in said aerosol container whereby the pressureinside said aerosol container is kept lower than that inside said mastervessel to carry the recharging operation into effect, removing saidmaster vessel from said aerosol container, restoring said invertedaerosol container to its original position, and again capping saidaerosol container with said jetting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,181,737 5/1965 Chaucer 141-20 XFOREIGN PATENTS 1,228,733 3/1960 France.

1,350,478 12/1963 France.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. S. BELL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A METHOD OF RECHARGING A PORTABLE AEROSOL CONTAINER WITH SUCH ANAEROSOL AS TOILET AND MEDICINAL GOODS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING STEPS OFREMOVING A DETACHABLY JETTING MEANS CAPPED ON SAID AEROSOL CONTAINER SOAS TO EXPOSE A TUBULAR MEMBER PROVIDED IN THE TOP OF SAID AEROSOLCONTAINER, INVERTING SAID AEROSOL CONTAINER ON A MASTER VESSELCONTAINING SAID AEROSOL UNDER PRESSURE, OF CONNECTING SAID TUBULARMEMBER WITH A BLOW OUT PIPE OF SAID MASTER VESSEL, OPERATING A WORKABLEGAS EXPELLING MEANS PROVIDED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID AEROSOL CONTAINER SOAS TO EXPEL GAS CONTAINED IN SAID AEROSOL CONTAINER WHEREBY THE PRESSUREINSIDE SAID AEROSOL CONTAINER IS KEPT LOWER THAN THAT INSIDE SAID MASTERVESSEL TO CARRY THE RECHARGING OPERATION INTO EFFECT, REMOVING SAIDMASTER VESSEL FROM SAID AEROSOL CONTAINER, RESTORING SAID INVERTEDAEROSOL CONTAINER TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION, AND AGAIN CAPPING SAIDAEROSOL CONTAINER WITH SAID JETTING MEANS.